- The First Morning
The first thing you learn about Mount Hualan University is that the campus is much prettier than the admissions brochure had any right to be.
The second thing you learn is that the hill is not exaggerating.
By the time you reach the main quad, your backpack is digging into your shoulders, your carefully planned morning is already several minutes behind schedule, and you're beginning to suspect that the university's founders personally hated freshmen. Somewhere ahead, the bell tower chimes the hour.
A young man in an oversized cardigan is standing beside the campus map, staring at it with the concentration of someone trying to solve an ancient riddle. He notices you looking lost and immediately brightens.
"Are you looking for a building?"
He gestures toward the map.
"I've been here three years and I'm still occasionally betrayed by this campus."